Learning Traditional Chinese Culture

[JSCh]

Chinese Students Revive Traditional Chinese Culture
Francis Eduard Ang | Oct 09, 2015 08:00 AM EDT

Confucius is the founder of the ethical and philosophical system called Confucianism. (Photo : Google)​

An emerging trend among young Chinese students, with some as young as four, is studying traditional Chinese culture, including Confucianism and Chinese calligraphy, instead of learning more Western activities.

The Chengxian Guoxue Institute in Guozijian, China's highest education institute from the 13th to 19th centuries, is one such place where the youth of the country have been going to learn more about their cultural roots.

Chen Quanjin, a 6-year-old boy, spent his summer at the institute studying various aspects of Chinese culture. He mastered the Dizigui, a 300-year-old Chinese book that states the standards for being a good student and child.

"Older siblings should befriend younger ones; younger siblings should respect and love older ones. Siblings who keep harmonious relationships among themselves are being dutiful to their parents," Chen said, quoting from the Dizigui.

According to the institute's director Ji Jiejing, the Chengxian Guoxue Insitute is trying to expand the exposure of children, mostly aged four to 10, to traditional Chinese culture by introducing them to Chinese calligraphy, Confucianism and other traditional values.

"Traditional Chinese culture should not lose its grip on young Chinese as it is good for their moral development and the cultivation of their character. Some wisdom delivered through the Chinese classics might help children deal with the challenges in their own lives," said Ji.

The institute's popularity is indicative of the recent rise in interest in traditional culture. Until recently, the English learning trend among Chinese students has caused a neglect of the mother tongue.

Currently, the school system, including the Ministry of Education, is trying to incorporate traditional Chinese culture into the curriculum.

In April 2014, the Ministry of Education issued guidelines for teaching traditional Chinese culture from elementary school until college, requiring more lessons of traditional culture, especially in primary and middle-school textbooks.

President Xi Jinping has also expressed the need to bring back traditional culture when he visited Beijing Normal University in Sept. 2014, voicing disapproval over decisions to remove classic Chinese essays and poems from Chinese textbooks.

Chinese Students Revive Traditional Chinese Culture : Life & Culture : Yibada

 

[mpk1988]

I have a doubt. Why is it that Confucianism is given more importance than Taoism? I have heard from some of my Chinese friends that Confucianism is more about obedience and hierarchy etc, whereas Taoism is more wholesome. Or did I get it wrong and are both complementary?

 

[haviZsultan]

This is good. In light of globalization local and indigenous culture is quickly and quietly disappearing. The state of national languages is precarious but even more precarious is the state of regional, local and at times even state languages. I would like to point to the fact that languages like Ormuri in Pakistan may disappear completely in the coming years. It is sad and even pashto has 30 million speakers of which there might be a total of 50 million in Pakistan. So only a small percentage know their language.

China should not abandon its language and culture which is beautiful to say the least. It should survive.

 

[Sommer]

I have a doubt. Why is it that Confucianism is given more importance than Taoism? I have heard from some of my Chinese friends that Confucianism is more about obedience and hierarchy etc, whereas Taoism is more wholesome. Or did I get it wrong and are both complementary?

I think it's because:

Taoism is about getting out of the society and getting back to nature. And Confucianism is about getting into the society.

As the rulers, they like people more secularization, have more productive forces, that's why they support the Confucianism, but meanwhile they are not against Taoism. The government support makes Confucianism more popular.

 

[JSCh]

I have a doubt. Why is it that Confucianism is given more importance than Taoism? I have heard from some of my Chinese friends that Confucianism is more about obedience and hierarchy etc, whereas Taoism is more wholesome. Or did I get it wrong and are both complementary?

The way I understand it, Taoism is more about cosmology, understanding how the way nature work, relationship and interaction between heaven, earth and man.

Confucianism is about man, society, nation-state. It concern itself of the ethic and order of the day to day living.

They could be complementary since the relationship between man with nature and man with other man are not necessary contradictory.

 

[mpk1988]

I think it's because:

Taoism is about getting out of the society and getting back to nature. And Confucianism is about getting into the society.

As the rulers, they like people more secularization, have more productive forces, that's why they support the Confucianism, but meanwhile they are not against Taoism. The government support makes Confucianism more popular.

The way I understand it, Taoism is more about cosmology, understanding how the way nature work, relationship and interaction between heaven, earth and man.

Confucianism is about man, society, nation-state. It concern itself of the ethic and order of the day to day living.

They could be complementary since the relationship between man with nature and man with other man are not necessary contradictory.

Thanks for taking the time to reply, guys.

 

[Raphael]

I'm very glad to see this. The philosophical basis of Chinese civilization is Confucianism, Taoism, and Legalism. Western influences can supplement this core, but we should be totally cognizant that our core can only be Chinese.

 

[Pangu]

The society as a world has gotten impatience & fill with angst in the pursue of a better life, time to slow down & reflect a little, especially now that the economy has slowed down into a critical phase of evolution to the next stage...

 

[TaiShang]

1st Confucius institute focusing on publishing opens in Oxford


Oxford Brookes University [File photo]

The institute was co-established by the Foreign Languages Teaching and Research Press (FLTRP), the largest English language teaching publisher and university press in China, and Oxford Brookes University, one of leading modern universities in Britain.

It is also the first Confucius Institute co-founded by a Chinese publishing corporation and a university.

To promote Chinese learning among Chinese and British young people, the institute plans to build up an online language community on the basis of the FLTRP International Platform for Multi-language Learning (Chineseplus.com), cooperating with Wordoor, a leading language online community in China.

Cai Jianfeng, President of FLTRP, said the new institute will be dedicated to Chinese-themed publishing and research, and co-build a Sino-British academic communication platform for scholars from both China and Britain to communicate on China-related subjects, and promote cultural creative industries between the two countries.

Professor Alistair Fitt, Vice Chancellor at Oxford Brookes University, said at the launch ceremony that China is already a key global partner for Oxford Brookes and the university has strong established links through research collaborations and training programs for Chinese publishers in the past few years.

"Publishing is an area which Oxford Brookes, and the city of Oxford itself, has an enviable international reputation. It is therefore entirely fitting that this partnership should create Europe's first publishing focused Confucius Institute," he said.

"This is a particularly exciting development for Oxford Brookes. It will allow us to promote an understanding of one of the world's oldest continuous civilization and the biggest, most diverse, fast-changing country," he added.

So far, there are 29 Confucius Institutes and 126 Classrooms across Britain, ranking first among European countries.

 

[JSCh]

Han culture fever sweeps Hefei
By Gao Yinan (People's Daily Online) 15:54, October 30, 2015
​

Local residents wearing traditional hanfu have a class about Chinese etiquettes in a private school in Hefei, east China’s Anhui province on Oct. 29, 2015. A new wave of Chinese culture fever is sweeping the city. (CNS/Zhang Yazi)
​

​

 

[JSCh]

Qing and Tang is also Chinese culture.

Qipao is also a Chinese dress.

Don't promote Han Chauvinism alone.

Err, Tang is Han culture.

And promoting one do not necessary lessen the value of another culture of China.

Also Qing, which is Manchurian has been largely assimilated into Han culture. They are not exactly mutually exclusive. Inclusiveness is a feature of Han/Chinese culture.

 

[Bussard Ramjet]

Not only Han dynasty is dominated by Han....
Han,(Wei,Jin)Tang,Song,Ming are both Han's dynasty.
So called"Han fu",in fact they're wore in these 4 dynasties.
Qing aren't,but of course we admit Manchu

Han's culture is much better than most minority,so many minority love Hanfu too,and admire Han's culture.
Don't be excessive worry,imformation got by myself,my father's relative even dont realize distinguish between Han and minority.(In fact there r really less distinguish)

The whole Han construct is artificial.

In reality there is only Huaren. And almost all minorities in China are clearly a part of Huaren.

 

[CHN Bamboo]

The whole Han construct is artificial.

In reality there is only Huaren. And almost all minorities in China are clearly a part of Huaren.

okay,agree.
I hope our gov make changes now.

 

[Namin]

Chinese Students Revive Traditional Chinese Culture : Life & Culture : Yibada[/QUOTE]

President Xi Jinping has also expressed the need to bring back traditional culture when he visited Beijing Normal University in Sept. 2014, voicing disapproval over decisions to remove classic Chinese essays and poems from Chinese textbooks.

Chinese intend to remove classic poems from textbook. It's very strange! We are still learning Li Bai and Du Fu's poems in high school.

 

[ahojunk]

This will help to promote traditional culture.

--------------------
Confucius, Mencius Tourist Attractions Free to Teachers
2016-01-02 19:55:36 | Xinhua | Web Editor: Chu Yiming

A file photo of Temple and Cemetery of Confucius in Qufu City, Shandong Province, east China. [Photo: people.cn]

Places associated with philosophers Confucius and Mencius are now free for China's 15 million teachers in an effort to promote traditional culture.

The three tourist venues -- the Temple, Family Mansion and Cemetery of Confucius, or Kong Zi, are all in Qufu City, Shandong Province.

"Confucius is a teacher model for generations. We come to pay our tribute to him, to remind us to be good teachers and remember our duties," said Song Min, 58, a math teacher from Caoxian County in Shandong. He was among the first batch of 65 teachers who visited the venues on Friday morning.

Born near the present-day town of Qufu, Confucius (551-479 BC) founded a school of thought that influenced later generations and became known as Confucianism. He is believed to be the first person to set up private schools in China and enroll students from all walks of life.

"Confucius is the teacher for all. Free access could make more teachers learn from him to become good teachers," said Li Changsheng, Communist Party chief of Qufu.

Inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1994, the three spots host around four million visitors each year.

Also on Friday, the Temple and Family Mansion of Mencius in Zoucheng City, Shandong, began to offer free access for domestic teachers except during the national holidays. The two spots are also on the country's key protection list.

Mencius (372-289 BC), or Meng Zi, was a pupil of Zi Si, grandson of Confucius. He traveled all his life expounding Confucianism.